Ast ts – posters · 2017-06-21 · Poster abstracts IAPR Hamar 2017 – Page 1 Ast ts – posters 1. Meaning in Life through Photography:Youth exposed to family violence and their

Poster abstracts IAPR Hamar 2017 – Page 1

Abstacts – posters

1. Meaning in Life through Photography:Youth exposed to family

violence and their stories Maria Stensvold Ånonsen

Background Previous research on youth exposed to family violence has explored prevalence,

prevention and ethical issues.The present study (2015-2020) explores existential themes with the

main issue being: How and in what way does youth (16-20) with experiences of family violence

describe their sense of meaning in life? Method The sample in this study are set to 15-20. I use

social media and gatekeepers from organizations and institutions to get in contact with participants.

Participation criteria’s are age, previous exposure to violence, and current safety. Media for

exploration are participant-generated photos, text and interviews. Results The main purpose in this

study is to explore what/who contributes to youth’s sense of meaning in life. I expect to find up to

120 answers on this topic since youth are generating six photographs each. Analysis of the

photographs, their content and informants’ reflections will identify significant themes. To discover

how different sources of meaning are important, context and verbal stories describing the

photographs will be underlined. Contribution This study provides new knowledge about a universal

human theme within a small group of people having difficult relational experiences. Through

participation and creativity, the methods and findings in this study also contributes with new ways to

talk about and do research on sensitive topics.

Keywords: family violence, youth, meaning in life, auto-photography

2. Prohibition of drawing of God is Islam and strategies of Iranian

children to draw image of God Zahra Astaneh

This study on Muslim children in Iran was conducted in collaboration with the project "Drawings of

gods". It focuses on the fact that depiction of God is generally considered to be prohibited in Islam

(Naef 2004). According to Quran: "[...] nothing is like Him [...]", (Surah 42, verse11). Therefore, we

studied the response of Muslim children when asked to draw God (N=3037, girls and boys, 7 to 14

years of age). Data were collected by researchers from the University of Tehran. Results indicate two

main tendencies: only 0.5% of children refused to draw God because of their Islamic beliefs (e.g.,

explicitly stating that images of God are prohibited, based on their Islamic beliefs); 9% of them didn’t

draw any image of God because of other reasons (e.g., some stated that they could not draw

because they had not seen God before). In this poster, after explaining briefly the image of God from

viewpoint of Quran and the Islamic anecdotes, strategies employed by Iranian Muslim children to

draw an image of God will be presented. Special attention will be given to how prohibition pertaining

to draw God is conceived in the minds of Muslim Iranian children.


Keywords: drawing, islam, prohibition, iran, god, children

3. The Sociopsychological Approach of Erich Fromm in Critical

Discussion with current Religious Education – A Contribution to the

Creation of New Theories in the Field of Religious Education Annette Bohner

In 20th century, the social psychologist Erich Fromm developed his own analytic socio-psychology

concept. This theory disposes the social-character of each person – understood as the reflexive,

unconscious adaption of the human being to requirements of the society – and the different types of

being related to the society, especially for modern times. Although Religious Education takes other

social sciences such as sociology, psychology et al. in account, Fromm’s work has not been related to

the processes of religious education and its (anthropological) reflexion and justification. My doctoral

thesis fills in this gap: It puts the discourse of Religious Education about post-modernity and its

impact on processes of Religious Education to the Frommean approach on modernity and men’s

thinking, feeling, behaving restricted through the social-character. By carving out systematically also

Fromm’s anthropologic ideas and his conception of biophilia, a Frommean criteriology results that

will not only support the understanding of the post-modern human being but also allows an

acceptable analysis of the society this very human lives in, in order to master the challenges

confronting religious education and, by the same time, does not forget to establish a normative scale

that shall meet Fromm’s view, namely the encouragement of mental health.

Keywords: social psychology, mental health, religion, religious education, anthropology, Erich Fromm

4. Body Image and Religiosity Among Veiled and Non-Veiled Turkish

Women Sarah Demmrich, Sümeyye Atmaca

The positive relationship between body image and religiosity, as found in Christian samples, is often

explained in terms of a moderate dressing style of highly religious women. Unfortunalty, almost

nothing is known about the relationship between body image, religiosity, and dressing style among

female Muslims who live in Muslim countries. Therefore, we conducted an exploratory questionnaire

study among 59 female Muslims between 17 and 46 years (M = 28.02; SD = 7.84) in Turkey, using

scales that assessed dressing style (n = 29 veiled and n = 30 non-veiled), social appearance anxiety (as

an indicator of a negative body image), and religiosity (intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity; normative

and popular religiosity). The results show that veiled women score much lower on social appearance

anxiety than non-veiled women. Moreover, all four forms of religiosity are highly negatively

correlated with social appearance anxiety for the whole sample, the veiled subsample, but not the

non-veiled subsample. The results are discussed in the context of wearing the hijab as well as

normative religiosity as important buffering factors against a negative body image among Turkish

Muslim women.

Keywords: body image, veiling, popular religiosity, normative religiosity


5. Spiritual Religious Coping and Spiritual Struggles Among Patients

with Cancer and Elderly Inpatients in Brazil Mary R G Esperandio, Fabiane T. Escudero, Marcio L. Fernandes, Suelen Cristie, Fabiana T. Xavier

Evaluating religious/spiritual (r/s) resources and needs of patients facing life-threatening diseases

helps in making decisions about the provision of holistic care. The aim of this study was to evaluate

the use of spiritual religious coping (SRCOPE) and the prevalence of spiritual struggles among

patients with cancer and elderly inpatients. The study was quantitative, descriptive, cross sectional

and consisted of the application of the Brief RCOPE Scale, the Spiritual Religious Struggles Scale

(SRSS) and a socio-bio-demographic Questionnaire. The study enrolled 50 cancer patients and 51

elderly inpatients. The results show that both groups use the positive religious coping more than the

negative religious coping. The most widely used methods were "Benevolent Religious Reappraisal"

and "Religious Focus". Although the prevalence of spiritual struggles is low, a significant and positive

association between negative religious coping and all dimensions of SRSS was found for both

populations. The most common spiritual struggles were: Moral and Ultimate Meaning. It draws

attention that 33% of cancer patients stated they would like to bring r/s issues to the treatment, but

only 14% had been questioned about these issues. This study points out the need and importance of

broadening and deepening this theme within palliative care research.

Keywords: spiritual religious coping, spiritual struggles, oncological patients, elderly patients,

palliative care

6. Dancing on the boundaries. Crime and religiosity Ignazio Grattagliano, Rosa Scardigno, Altomare Enza Zagaria, Giuseppe Mininni

Religions offer both sources of meanings and reservoirs of stories that help people to give order to

reality and propose ways to reassure their followers. These same interpretive devices can be

seriously dystonic: if misunderstood and/or placed in a highly dysfunctional communicative context,

religious meanings can also catalyze the amplification of problematic situations. In worst cases, they

can take part to dynamics leading to criminal acts, even of terrible ferocity. In the present work we

present two criminal cases in which religious socialization can act as a component, as they occur in

family constellations characterized by a deep religiousness. In the first one, a female psychologist,

suffering from major mental disorders, amplified by the use of substances, killed her elderly and

paraplegic mother, suffocating her through the insertion of two sacred images and a rosary into her

throat. In the second one, a catholic educated husband, having neither legal no psychopathological

precedents, killed his wife in a terrible heinous way. In both cases, the sense of the criminal act

recalls features dealing with individual history and social relations, in a complex tangle of actions and

feedbacks in which religious socialization can play a key role.

Keywords: crime, religiosity, psychopathology, family, socialization


7. Ambivalence and process of religious coping during a caregiving

experience. An empirical study with caregiving spouses Annette Haussmann

International studies have concluded the ambivalent relationship between religion and health. While

some religious coping strategies are helpful to coping with burden, others can increase distress. Only

few studies include longitudinal data to assess the significance of religion during the process of

adaption to major life events. With an interdisciplinary background of theology and psychology, this

study focuses on the relationship between burden and religion as a coping resource. Coping is

understood as an ongoing process of adaption, including questioning purpose and meaning of life,

resetting goals and looking for (re)sources of hope. Caregiving for a beloved partner is stressful and

often includes depression and hopelessness. 19 spouses of stroke patients have been included and

assessed 3 times during one year post-stroke. The mixed method design (interview, card sorting set,

psychological assessments) allows further conclusions on the nature of religion as not only

multidimensional but shaping the process of adaption itself. Aim of the study is to find different

religious coping strategies and underlying religious concepts, and relating them to other coping

resources and burdens. Thus, it allows highlighting the dynamic relationship between religion and

coping. The poster will focus on the ambivalence and process of religious coping.

Keywords: religious coping, caregiving, ambivalence

8. Dynamics in change of religious views in a secular country Klara Malinakova, Jitse P. van Dijk, Peter Tavel

Introduction Spirituality and religiosity have been found to be associated with many dimensions of

human life, also with physical and mental health. However, these associations have been studied

mostly in religious countries. The Czech Republic belongs to the countries with the highest

percentage of religiously unaffiliated people in the world. Therefore, we decided to explore the

background of atheism in a highly secular country. Methods A nationally representative sample of

Czech adults (n=1800, 46.4±17.4 years 48.7% men) participated in the survey. We measured

religiosity, spirituality, conversion motives, non-religious attitudes and selected markers of

psychopathology. Results Of the 1269 respondents who described themselves as non-believers, 497

(39.2%) reported that they would go to the church or pray in case of problems (health troubles,

psychological illness etc.). Of the 489 respondents who described themselves as believers, 42 (7.9%)

reported that they had converted in a difficult life situation. The consequent analyses showed a

significantly higher occurrence of some psychopathological symptoms among the respondents who

either had converted or admitted that they could and those who had not. Conclusion We found that

in a secular society problems might become a motivation to attend religious meetings.

Keywords: atheism, religiosity, spirituality, conversion, psychopathology

9. How Psychoanalysis Can Make Faith Possible Frank Malone


Practitioners of psychoanalysis have moved far beyond Sigmund Freud’s hostility toward religious

and spiritual experiences. This early psychoanalytic bias saw religion and spirituality as clinically

pathological. Psychoanalysts would for example interpret religious longings to the patient as

representing unhealthy "dependency needs". Contemporary psychoanalysts recognise that such

diagnosing of religious and spiritual experience was an enactment of negative "countertransference"

toward the patient. The development of object relations theory in psychoanalysis enables us to

understand how the psychological capacity for faith is developed - or not. Further, it shows us how

faith can be facilitated by the psychoanalytic relationship. A clinical vignette is used to illustrate this

theory, and how the psychoanalytic process can make faith possible without religious or spiritual

matters ever being mentioned by the psychoanalyst.

Keywords: psychoanalysis, object relations theory, religious experience, spiritual experience

10. Existential, spiritual and religious needs and considerations in Danish

inpatients diagnosed with depression, Existential, spiritual and religious

considerations, needs and resources in Danish inpatients diagnosed with

depression – an outline of a forthco Tobias Opsahl, Niels Christian Hvidt

Intro. International research have found that psychiatric patients ask for a more holistic treatment,

comprising their existential, spiritual and religious (E/S/R) considerations, needs and resources. It

might be fruitful to include these into treatment since research have found that E/S/R are related to

better mental health, well-being and coping, especially among depressive individuals. Research into

E/S/R in a secular psychiatric setting like Denmark is sparse but research-based insights into the

significance of E/S/R in Danish psychiatric patients diagnosed with depression might be valuable in

the design of treatment. Aim. To investigate the significance of E/S/R considerations, needs and

resources in psychiatric patients diagnosed with depression in Denmark. Research questions. 1)

What E/S/R considerations, needs and resources do psychiatric patients diagnosed with depression

experience during inpatient treatment in Denmark? 2) What is the significance of the E/S/R

considerations, needs and resources to the patients? Method. Qualitative semi-structured

interviews. Perspectives. The purpose of investigating the significance of E/S/R considerations, needs

and resources is to explore whether and how they are significant to the patients and consequently

whether and how we ought to take them into account when treating psychiatric inpatients diagnosed

with depression in Denmark, Abstract sent to Tor-Arne due to troubles uploading

Keywords: mental health, depression, existential issues, spirituality, religiosity, holistic care,

hermeneutic, interviews,, mental health, existential issues, spirituality, religiosity, holistic care,

hermeneutic, interviews, depression

11. Religiosity and supervisor ratings of professional qualities among

hospital nurses Lukas Pitel


The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between religiosity and supervisor ratings

(professional competence as a composite measure, and quality of personal approach towards

patients) among hospital nurses. Moreover, we were interested if the associations persisted after

adjusting for situational variables and personality traits. Data were collected in Bratislava, Slovakia in

2014 (N=109, mean age 38.4 years; SD 8.9 years; 98.2% females). Religiosity was measured by the

Duke University Religion Index items for organizational religious activity, non-organizational religious

activity, and intrinsic religiosity. The analyses were performed using linear regression models,

adjusted for years of practice and Big Five personality traits (BFI). Organizational religiosity was

positively associated with both professional competence and personal approach, but the latter

relationship did not persist after controlling for personality. The weak positive association of non-

organizational religiosity with competence (p<.05) did not persist after controlling for personality

(p<.10). All the remaining associations were not statistically significant. The contra-intuitive pattern

in the results (intrinsic religiosity unrelated to any rating, and organizational religiosity as the

relatively strongest predictor) deserves further research.

Keywords: nurses, supervisor ratings, religiosity, professional competence, personal approach, Duke

University Religion Index

12. Well-being and religious coping in three Italian groups: homosexual

believers, charismatic Catholics Germano Rossi, Gabriele Rossi

The goal of this research is to study the relationship between religiosity/spirituality, religious coping

and well-being in 3 Italian religious groups (N=135): Catholics gays, Charismatics and others Catholics

(as control group). The instruments used are the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the General Health

Questionnaire, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale and the

Psychological Well-Being Scale, the Brief RCOPE, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and

some items from IE-R Scale. The study tests how belonging to a religious group influences self-

esteem, well-being, and health, and how this varies when one feels religious/spiritual, has an

intrinsic/extrinsic/search religious orientation, or uses positive/negative religious coping. Religious

group belonging was found to be an important protective factor resulting in higher well-being.

Charismatics showed higher levels of well-being and use of positive religious coping and intrinsic

orientation. Homosexuals tended towards quest oriented religiosity and those who consider

themselves spiritual show higher scores in the positive affect than the religious. Distress was found

associated with worse physical and mental health, while having a purpose, personal growth, Positive

Relations and Competence contributed to psycho-physical well-being.

Keywords: catholics gays, charismatics, catholics, well-being, religious coping

13. Inter-religious Marian Image and the Japanese Psyche: A Study of

“Maria-Kannon (Mary-Guanyin)” from the 17th Century to the Present Chizuko Saito, Naoko Frances Hioki


The topic of this presentation, “Maria-Kannon,” was designated Buddhist Bodhisattva figure, used by

pre-modern Japanese crypto-Christians as Virgin Mary. Originally, under religious proscription, the

Japanese Catholics adopted the Buddhist figure to disguise their underground religious practice. The

ban on Christianity ended in 1873, and the expression “Maria-Kannon,” emerged in literary circles in

the early twentieth century. Today, the original Catholic image of the mother of Jesus has been

transformed and repurposed into many popular images. As a Buddhist-Christian female deity, she is

probably more popular than the Virgin Mary. This presentation studies the discourse and the

transformation of “Maria-Kannon.” By examining Japanese narratives about Maria-Kannon, written

by (1) pre-modern crypto-Christians, (2) the modern authors Akutagawa Ryunosuke and Endo

Shusaku, (3) the psychologist Kawai Hayao, as well as (4) contemporary commentators on Maria-

Kannon on the Internet, we attempt to unpack the role and the meaning of female figures in

Japanese religious culture. While appreciating Kawai’s Jungian approach developed in his study,

“Maternal Society, Japanese Pathology,” we will also employ input from the historical-cultural

approach to reflect on specific context and critique the universal application of the Jungian archetype

of the “Great Mother.”

Keywords: japanese christianity, inculturation, crypto-religion, archetype, great mother

14. The moderating effect of attachment to God on the loss-depression

relation in late life: Findings from a longitudinal study Evalyne Thauvoye

The loss of close relatives and friends can be particularly stressful in late life, placing older adults at

an increased risk for depression. Research has repeatedly shown that religion can buffer against the

deleterious effects of highly stressful negative events. Especially the relationship one experience with

God can provide a base from which people try to cope with the situation. In this study, a distinction is

made between the anxious and avoidant type of attachment to God since literature suggest that they

lead to distinct depression-outcomes due to respectively hyper- and deactivation of the attachment

system. A longitudinal study was set up to investigate whether attachment to God moderates the

relation between personal loss and depressive symptoms at an advanced age. In addition, the study

examines whether religious coping mediates the effect of personal loss on depression and whether

this relation, in turn, is moderated by the attachment to God.

Keywords: attachment to god, personal loss, late life depression, religious coping

15. Spirituality and Resilience Carla Tomás

This Phd research tried to perceive within a Portuguese population, if the integrated experience of

spirituality facilitates the development of a resilient functioning facing the situations of adversity,

adding to the functioning of the subject a set of resources and strategies that allow the creation of a

personal meaning facilitator of the experiences associated with these conflicts. In order to

operationalize the vast and multidimensional concept of spirituality, we have chosen to use as


indicators general measures of spirituality such as religious denomination, religious and spiritual

practices and satisfaction with religion. We also use as parameters to evaluate spirituality, religious

and spiritual coping, spiritual well-being and the image of God. A total of 1118 inquiries were

collected and their analysis revealed that more than religious denomination or frequency, the

variables with a more intimate relational content with the Divine, such as the use of positive religious

and spiritual coping strategies, a benevolent image of God, and satisfaction with their spiritual life

that appear as more evident facilitators of adaptive processes in times of crisis.

Keywords: spirituality, resilience, religious/spiritual coping, spiritual well being, God's image

16. Psychological needs within the conversion to new religious

movements - Findings from a qualitative study of the neo-brazilian group

Terra Sagrada Sarah Franziska Tran-Huu

Four psychological needs leading individuals who convert to new religious groups are elaborated on

the basis of literature review and reviewed through narrative interviews with German-speaking,

Christian socialized converts from the neo-brazilian group Terra Sagrada. The group´s practice is

mainly based on their Candomblé and Umbanda roots, spiritual possession, a doctrine passed by

word of mouth and trance rituals putting the human body in the center of attention. First, the need

for social affiliation and relations; second, the desire for self-discovery and search for identity; third,

the need for meaning and security in life, and fourth, the need for new, bodily-based experiences will

be addressed. The individual way to psychological gratification is highly diverse, but the underlying

needs resemble, as the empirical study shows. In search of need fulfillment, people turn to

alternative spiritual groups hoping for new ways and possibilities. In the case of the Terra Sagrada,

especially the need for self-discovery and the wish for new body experiences are believed to be

inherent and indispensable. Further, it is proposed that those alternative offerings distinguish new

religious movements from traditional religious communities and fit needs which are strongly distinct

in modern Western society.

Keywords: Psychological needs, religious conversion, spiritual possession, trance, new religious

movements, alternative spirituality.

17. Longing – a Dynamic Power in Becoming towards spirituality and

transcending life Venke Ueland, Dagfinn Nåden, Unni Å. Lindström

Longing – a Dynamic Power in Becoming towards spirituality and transcending life Introduction This

presentation is based on interpretation of texts of Augustine, Kierkegaard as well as an empirical

study based on conversations with nine women suffering from cancer. Methodological approach

Caring science perspective and Gadamer’s ontological hermeneutics. Results Longing is connected to

a tender memory of something good in the past, Father’s love (Augustine (400). The most passionate

longing leads to the ultimate completion of life by connecting through faith with a You (Kierkegaard


1849). When suffering from cancer there seems to be a dynamic power in longing as becoming

towards transcending life, towards God or an external power. Conclusion The message from Augustin

and Kierkegaard might help health care personnel to better acknowledge and understand patient’s’

longing. To listen to patient’s own voice about longing might guide health personnel to perform care

that alleviate suffering and support health processes.

Keywords: longing, caring science, hermeneutics, Kierkegaard, Augustine, cancer, health, suffering,

becoming

18. Relational Death at Home – Sources of Meaning in the Stories of a

Dying Patient and Family Carer Auli Vähäkangas, Suvi-Maria Saarelainen

End-of-life care at home increases the holistic wellbeing of the patient; the possibility of calm

surroundings as well as the possibility of a more intimate focus on sorrow and bereavement – are

helpful for both to the patient her/himself and to the family carer. Yet, it s likely that encountering

mortality and death, challenges the meaning system of an individual. Meaningfulness in life forms as

apprising life in terms of coherency, significance, direction, and belonging (Schnell 2009; Baumeister

1991). Moreover, people are all embedded in a web of social relationships (Harding 2012; Nedelsky

1989) and relationality can include an individual’s relationship with God. The poster introduces our

new project that investigates the processes of dying of an older adult (over 65 years) and family carer

in the setting of a private home. The data consists of 45 interviews from people with advanced

disease in the last year of life (15), active family carers during the palliative care (15) and bereaved

carers after the death of their loved one (15). Because it is known that in sensitive studies the use of

visual elements helps the interviewees reflect on their own feelings, we will implement visual

narratives as part of the data. The aim of the project is to scrutinize how the interviewees experience

the sources of meaning in life when encountering death, dying and bereavement.

Keywords: sources of meaning, relationality, end-of-life care, dying patient, family carer

19. The Relationship Between Humility, Religiosity and Psychological

Well-Being Among Adults Muhammet Enes Vural

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between humility, religiosity and psychological

well-being among adults. The sample of the study was composed 315 (Male=146, Female=169)

adults whom living in Istanbul at 2015. In the research, personal information form has been used as a

quantification tool to determine participants’ demographic features. Besides, humility scale

developed by Elliott (2010) in order to determine the individuals’ humility level; Psychological Well-

Being Scale’s sort form of a 18 items advanced by Ryff (1989). Also, in order to determine

participants’ religiosity level, Ok-Religious Attitude Scale developed by Ok (2011) and consisted of

four sub-dimension has been used. As a result of this study, it has been seen that there is a

significant and positive relationship between humility and religiosity. But it has been monitored that


there is no significant relationship between humility and psychological well-being; and psychological

well-being and religiosity. On the other hand, it has been indicated that there is a significant

relationship between psychological well-being and age, income and educational level; religiosity and

gender, marital status and income level.

Keywords: humility, religiosity, psychological well-being, adults

20. Remembering past lives: The cognitive foundations of why people

believe that they have lived before Claire White

This research concerns the question of why people think they have lived before and, in particular, the

role of memory in supporting this conviction. Although popular representations of reincarnation

assume that the veracity of past-life memories are evidenced by distinctive and verifiable details

contained in the memory our results, based on of a series of semi-structured interviews with over

200 Western spiritual seekers, suggests otherwise. People reasoned that memory plays a

fundamental role in past-life beliefs because of the sense of personal identity (i.e. that the event

happened to them) contained in episodic memory. Contrary to popular portrayals, people were not

at all concerned or motivated with fact checking the details of recounted episodes. Rather, they

expressed the powerfulness of the experiential process of evoking a memory they did not, otherwise,

know they had, how it moved them, and gave them insight into the self that was, they believed,

hidden from sight until now. We conclude that past-life convictions are underpinned by the common

sense association between memory ownership and personal identity in line with cognitive accounts

of religion.

Keywords: past life, episodic memory, new age, spiritual seekers, personal identity, experimental

philosophy

21. The Army of God: An examination of religiously-motivated violence

from a psychology of religion perspective Sacharias Wirén

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine psychological processes that can contribute to

religiously-motivated violence in relation to the collective meaning-system of the militant anti-

abortion movement: the Army of God. The study applied a single-case design and the data were

collected through semi-structured interviews with three prominent figures within the Army of God,

as well as through analysis of 43 qualitative documents and four autobiographical books. The

collected data were analyzed through a deductive approach, implementing the concept of

sanctification, social identity theory, selective moral disengagement, and the Staircase to Terrorism

model. The results show that the collective meaning-system of the Army of God can be understood

as a frame that binds the members together, and from which social categorization and group

identification can induce acts of violence. The results also demonstrate that abortion is perceived as

a grave injustice and destruction of something sacred, which leads to a moral outrage by constituting


a threat towards one’s social identity. This threat moves individuals towards a ‘black-and-white’ and

‘the ends justify the means’ mentality. The act of violence is further prompted by a perceived duty

from God and facilitated by a dehumanization of the perceived enemy.

Keywords: religiously-motivated violence, social identity, meaning-system, anti-abortion

22. The role of religiosity for youth and adolescent in critical life events –

an empirical study Golde Hannah Marie Wissner

Central issues: All young people have to deal with many different challenges, some are related to

developmental and some to situational factors. To what extent is their religiosity an issue in such

challenging situations? A questionnaire-based survey is used for finding out whether they practice

religious coping and in which ways such experiences influence their faith. Sample: For a more

representative picture students from all of the three major school types in Germany were

questioned. The instrument was a questionnaire with 151 items and open questions. About 500

students (aged 16 to 26 years) from 32 different school classes in south-west Germany participated.

First results show, that no matter if their confidence in God was shaken or if it became more intense,

challenging experiences do not leave the religiosity of the respondents or their attitude towards

religion unaffected. Furthermore it seems that religious coping, especially praying, is more wide-

spread than often assumed. Discussion: Earlier models of religious development tend to describe

schematic and cognitive processes. The present exploration wants to supplement this while

emphasizing the meaning of personal experiences (and handling them) for developing a mature

belief. It wants to make a contribution for a better understanding of youth today.

Keywords: religiosity, religious development, coping

23. The Spiritual Dimension in Treatment and Everyday Life Berit Borgen

The spiritual dimension is often an absent topic in therapeutic applications, although it can have a

significant impact on liberating processes and cure. The activation of spiritual processes can elicit

transformative experiences by opening new life potentialities. Case examples of such occurrences,

sourced from my studies conducted with qualitative research methods, are included in the paper. In

critical situations, the possibility of eliciting transformational turning points might occur in

connection with spiritual transcending experiences. Thereby this possibility can have significant

impact on processes promoting recovery from mental disorders and on processes of mental

liberation generally. These possibilities are discussed together with reflections on spirituality as a

potential source in treatment and mental growth. Thereto some information and discussion are

given according to how it may be possible to support spiritual experiences, and in that way

potentially contribute to individuals’ relief from mental problems. The intention in this continued

elaboration is to give supportive insight and knowledge transfer to therapeutic and pedagogical


applications. A central objective is to inspire researchers to investigate the impact of spiritual

transcending experiences in recovery and mental liberating processes.

Keywords: creativity, knowledge transfer, liberation, mental transcendence, recovery, the spiritual

dimension

24. Gravity centre and god’s position in children’s drawings of gods Christelle Cocco, Grégory Dessart, Pierre-Yves Brandt, Zhargalma Dandarova Robert

One aim of the project “Drawings of gods”, composed of around 6’500 drawings from eight

countries, is to discover which strategies are used by children to answer the complex task of drawing

super natural agents. Studies show that children have tendency to centre their drawings (Winner,

2006; Golomb 1987). However, other studies revealed that people associate God-Devil with up-down

(Meier et al., 2007) and we suppose that children could draw god in the upper part of the sheet to

express the idea that god is in the sky or above/ upper us. In order to challenge these two

hypotheses, two methods were used on a subset (N = 617). Firstly, the computation of the gravity

centre of the drawing, defined as the weighted mean of all coloured pixels. Secondly, the retrieval of

the god position from a human annotation done with an online annotation tool (Dessart et al., 2016).

Both methods confirm that, on average, drawings are centred. As a next step, the gravity centre and

god’s position will be compared to determine if there is a correlation between these two measures

and to see if the position of god is centred or not with regard to the whole drawing.

Keywords: drawing, gravity centre, position

25. Rethinking Religious “Ideology” Judd King

Many contemporary Euroamerican populists claim that Islam as a religion is ideologically

incompatible with post-enlightenment Western values like personal liberty and freedom of speech.

Using ethnographic interviews with Turkish Islamist voters, this paper employs a cognitive

psychological perspective to draw into question the assumption that illiberal aspects of Muslims'

religious beliefs necessarily result from some coherent religious “ideology.” By definition,

ideology represents a coherent, rational system of interrelated beliefs about how the world should

be ordered, reducing to a core set of clearly defined, rational principles. Because theology effectively

organizes religious beliefs around a core set of clearly defined rational principles, the idea that at

least for “fundamentalists” who prioritize their theological beliefs above all else, religious beliefs

must equate into an ideology may at first seem plausible. However, my subjects' reasoning for

wanting to ban blasphemy but not alcohol reveals that the principles in which their ostensibly

ideological/theological beliefs are grounded are anything but consistent. I instead suggest

intuitionist moral psychology offers a more compelling explanation for their beliefs rooted in

emotion. I conclude that populist accounts centered on ideology ignore key aspects of the cognitive

architecture of religious morality.


Keywords: islam intuitionist, moral psychology, ideology, politics, cognitive psychology, blasphemy,

alcohol, Turkey

26. How philosophers can use results in Cognitive Science of Religion Halvor Kvandal

Cognitive science of religion (CSR) commits to “naturalism”. This means that scholars treat religion as

a natural phenomenon but without passing judgement on the existence or non-existence of the

supernatural. Philosophers of religion often use the term for atheism plus the view that science is the

only reliable method for attaining knowledge. In epistemology, there are also “naturalist” positions.

Their background is Quine’s view that science and philosophy are continuous and that psychology

should replace epistemology. A more recent view is “moderate naturalism”. This view rejects Quine’s

replacement-idea but grants results in psychology strong relevance in epistemology. The present

paper is about how the endorsement of this view allows philosophers to capitalize on results in CSR

when they discuss the epistemic status of religious beliefs. The first part of the paper presents

moderate naturalist epistemology. The second presents recent work by Nicolas Baumard and Pascal

Boyer on what they call “elaboration” as an example of work in CSR that epistemology can apply. Of

particular interest is what they say about processes in religion guided by relevance rather than truth,

and how the former leads subjects to meta-represent intuitive assumptions their minds produce,

leading to a religious belief.

Keywords: cognitive science, naturalism, epistemology, Baumard, Boyer, elaboration, intuitions,

religious belief, philosophy.

27. What can religion and spirituality contribute with in dealing with

cancer? Anahita Paula Rassoulian

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Getting a cancer diagnose always include fear of

death. Matters concerning meaning of life and questions about relationships past and present occur,

and may trouble many. The most common question is ”why me?" What are possible answers to that

question for a person? Every cancer disease brings feelings of anxiety and depression. What role

does the faith factor play in this situation? Interviews with cancer patients show a difference in

coping with cancer when a patient has a religious and/or spiritual background. Can the faith factor be

a supportive factor that move mountains? Are there differences between patients with a religious or

spiritual background, and those who are not religious or spiritual, concerning coping with cancer?

This paper will seek to answer these questions on the basis of real patient stories.

Keywords: cancer, religion, spirituality

28. Nature as therapeutic space Kirsten K. Roessler


Nature has the potential to act as place for psychological interventions, and this paper will focus on

theoretical, cultural and empirical considerations on the specific atmosphere and possibilities of

nature as a therapeutic setting. When it comes to applying nature and environment to improve life

quality, cope with chronic illnesses, and relieve stress and depression, psychological theories focus

among others on directed and spontanous attention and on affective responses to the environment.

These theoretical considerations will be followed by a short presentation of an empirical study, which

targeted exclusively at men with a higher risk of diseases. The Danish project ”Wildman” works with

men in crisis suffering from: cardiovascular diseases, cancer, pain, anxiety, stress, and depression.

The purpose of the project was to use nature as therapeutic environment for a target group, who

does not benefit from the given municipal offers. This is accomplished by combining nature, nature

guidance, and meditation, by using different ways to direct attention, together with bodily activities,

towards a community spirit, by creating positive relations and expanding the participants’ social

network. The last part of the paper poses questions to cultural aspects of nature and landscape for

identity and interpersonal relations. Nature reveals herby existential dimensions.

Keywords: nature, therapy, existential aspects, identity

29. Affects in Christian counseling Randi Synnove Tjernaes

In this workshop I want to present some of my work concerning current Norwegian

literature/syllabus in Christian counseling, and the focus on affects in counseling. Two years ago I

finished my in master degree in Christian counseling as part of my clinical pastoral education (CPE),

and I now work on an article based on this theme. In this presentation I want to present the affect

theory, and then give a picture of how the counseling literature describes affects. In short, my results

show that we in Norway, until recently, did not give the students of theology and diaconia a broader

knowledge of affects; we do not use affect theory. My results give a picture how we in Norway have

some shortcomings in our counseling literature. The literature:

did not give a presentation of affects.

did not describe the meaning og affects.

did not describe the meaning of affect integrity and affect consciousness.

try to defend why they want to split theology and psychology.

indicate some fear of affects in general.

I have in my work only discovered that the affects are deficient in the Norwegian pastoral care

curriculum. My research prompts me to ask new questions regarding how the discipline had

developed had there been a stronger focus on affect theory in the curriculum.

Keywords: affects, affect theory, emotions, spiritual care, christian counselling, theology

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Ast ts – posters · 2017-06-21 · Poster abstracts IAPR Hamar 2017 – Page 1 Ast ts – posters 1. Meaning in Life through Photography:Youth exposed to family violence and their